Rossi in, Chilton out for Marussia at Belgian Grand Prix

American Alexander Rossi is going to get his first chance to drive an Formula 1 car in anger thanks to a little kerfluffle between Max Chilton and the Marussia management. This all comes on the heels of the Caterham F1 implosion that sent Rossi off to Marussia in the first place. Rossi, and Marussia for that matter, didn't expect to be offering the young American an F1 start so early at all.

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What exactly is the "contract dispute" between Chilton and Marussia that has cleared the way for the first American start in F1 since Scott Speed's last run in 2007? It appears that the team is selling Chilton's seat for the race to raise funds. It could also be that this is only the first step towards Chilton getting the boot, for good. Both theories are floating around at the moment, but the only real indication of how the Chilton and Rossi situation will play out will be what happens during and after the Belgian Grand Prix.

If Rossi puts on a show, he may have a seat for the rest of the season—and we'll have proof that the whole "financial issues" story was just an excuse to put Chilton out the door without egg on his face. Time (and race results) will tell the tale.